Tag Archives: Middle East and Africa

Jet Airways has launched a fourth daily service from Dubai to Delhi and has also rescheduled the flight to Mangalore from Dubai. The new schedule provides a more convenient night flight, arriving early in the morning in Mangalore. Shakir Kantawala, Vice President, Gulf, Middle East and Africa, Jet Airways, said, “The new service will further enhance the strong economic ties between the UAE and India and support the increase in demand for tourism for both the cities. The new flight timings are also of interest for business travellers, who now have the convenience of day return flights. We look forward to providing greater convenience and choice to our guests travelling to Delhi.”

The 14th edition of Hotel Investment Conference-South Asia (HICSA) started today in the Grand Hyatt Mumbai. Having created a niche for itself, HICSA brings together an impressive conglomeration of business leaders, think tanks and industry top brass, and is one of the most coveted forums for all industry players in the region. The program will feature a series of master classes and keynotes by subject-matter experts; interviews and thought-provoking discussions with industry stalwarts; and a number of engaging panel discussions. Notable speakers at this year’s event include prominent industry leaders such as Alan Watts, President – Asia Pacific, Hilton; Arne M. Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International; Ashish Jakhanwala, Managing Director and CEO, SAMHI; Deep Kalra, Chairman and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip; Deepak Bagla, Chief Executive Officer and MD, Invest India; Gaurav Bhushan, Global Chief Development Officer, Accorhotels; Katerina Giannouka, President – Asia Pacific, Radisson Hotel Group; Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO, Hyatt Hotels Corporation; Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC Limited; Pascal Gauvin, Managing Director – India, Middle East and Africa, InterContinental Hotels Group; Patu Keswani, Chairman and MD, Lemon Tree Hotels Limited and Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and CEO, Indian Hotels Company Limited, to name a few.

The UK continues to make improvements to its visa service. The United Kingdom Visa & Immigration (UKVI) has committed to extending the Registered Traveller Service to Indian nationals – an optional membership scheme which provides expedited crossing through the UK border. Registered Travellers are entitled to use the EEA entry lanes, or if they hold an electronic passport, the ePassport gates, and won’t need to routinely fill in a landing card. Moreover, There are more UK Visa Application Centres in India than any other country, including a premium lounge recently opened in Bengaluru. UKVI will also be improving the application process during 2018, with new online forms and upgraded technology to make the experience smoother, easier and more customer-friendly. Tricia Warwick, Interim Director for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, VisitBritain, said, “We want the UK to be a ‘must-go-now’ destination for visitors from India. Making it easy to travel here is an important part of our tourism offer. With our hotels, attractions and shops, all offering great value for Indian visitors right now, it is a great time to come to Britain.” The British High Commissioner to India, Sir Dominic Asquith KCMG, said, “2017 was a record breaking year for the UK-India relationship, with more Indians travelling to the UK than ever before. In the year ending September 2017 well over half a million visas were issued to Indian nationals and visit visas alone were up by 11% year-on-year. “That is great news for both our countries. We know hundreds of thousands of Indians will travel again in 2018 – and they can expect a quicker visa process if they apply up to three months early and beat the …

The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has awarded VFS Global an extension to its global contract for visa processing services in four regions – Asia and Oceania, Europe and Russia, Middle East and Africa, and the Americas. VFS Global currently operates 101 Visa Application Centres across 39 countries for Norway. VFS processes approximately 260,000 Norway visa applications globally each year and travellers from China, Russia, Thailand and India account for most of the inbound traffic into Norway. Chris Dix, Head – Business Development, VFS Global, remarked, “We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Norwegian government. This is not only commercially important for VFS Global, but also in demonstrating the Norwegian government’s trust in VFS, further reinforcing our company’s position as the leading visa services partner to Schengen member states and to 57 client governments worldwide.” The Royal Norwegian Government reported the country’s tourism industry had another record year in 2016, following strong growth in the number of visitors in 2015. Figures compiled by Statistics Norway show average annual growth in the number of foreign visitors to Norway has exceeded the international average since 2010.